Suicide Attempts On The Rise In U.S., Study Finds

CBS Local — A disturbing new study has revealed that suicide attempts are on the rise in the United States. Younger adults were even more prone to self-destructive behavior than other groups.

The findings, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, show that suicide attempts increased by two percent over a 10-year stretch from 2004 to 2014. Researchers at Columbia University say that for every 100,000 people in the country, the attempted suicide rate rose to 13 percent — or about 13,000 people.

While Americans 45 to 64 years old have the highest rate of successful suicides, the study points to the dramatic rise of attempts made by the 21 to 34-year-old population. During the study, the rate of suicide attempts among young adults was eight times higher than it was among Americans 65 or older.

Lead author Dr. Mark Olfson points to many warning signs among younger people, including poorer economic conditions and untreated psychiatric disorders for the troubling rise.

“Given the cumulative frequency of family, legal, and financial problems, it behooves us to look beyond the walls of our clinics and offices to engage vulnerable individuals,” Dr. Olfson wrote.

Given the recent divisive climate in the country, the frightening trend may continue to rise. With many Americans unable to put their political differences aside in a healthy way, calls to the National Suicide Prevention Line reportedly spiked following the November election. “We haven’t seen anything like that in our history,” said Prevention Line director John Draper.